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A WINTER GAMP ON WADLEIGH 
BROOK. 
{.Continued from page 86.) 
Part II.— A Chanf^e of Base. 
A WAKM spell followed our hunt in the burnt lands, and 
from 20° below zero the thermometer rose to 50° above. 
Under the influence of the warm air the snow rapidly dis- 
appeared, and when freezing weather came again the 
hunting was very noisy. We had eaten up almost every- 
thing in camp and resolved upon a change of base. Ac- 
cordingly, on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 29, we moved over 
to the Trout Brook Lumber Camp owned by Messrs. Dud- 
ley & Currins, and the following day Jock, the Doctor and 
myself went on to Sourdnahunk Lake for a few days' 
Bojourn at McLain's camp. 
Sourdnahunk. 
Eight moose had been accounted for at Sourdnahunk 
Lake this season up to the time of our arrival, two of them 
having been killed only a few days before by the 
McLain's. 
These were large bulls, one having a spread of horns of 
65in., and" the other 47in. They lay just where they had 
fallen within a few rods of each other, back on a hardwood 
ridge no great distance from Thi.ssel Pond. One great bull 
had cateelled over backWatd when hitj but fortunately had 
hot broken his horns. 
McLain's camp, which has been but recently opened 
for sportsmen, is well built of small peeled spruce logs 
set vertically and battened with strips of bark. The 
roof is of spruce bark, which gives the camp a more 
picturesque effect than is common. 
The McLain's, father and son, are successful trapptjrs, 
and last year took 112 "saple," besides "black cat" or fisher, 
mink, fox and otter. 
In one corner of the sitting room is a reminiscence of 
bear, in the shape of a heavy No. 5 Newhouse trap which 
has one jaw snapped in two and a spring missing as the 
result of tackling the Wrong bear. The bear that wrecked 
that trap and got away must have been d,n uilusually 
powerful animal. Near by is a shed moose horn, picked 
up by Joe Francis, that is abnormal in that it has a tine 
4 or 5in. long starting from the back edge of the palm and 
running parallel with it. 
At Sourdnahunk I saw a black cat in a tall stub, but 
though I tried to prevent its escape the big weasel suc- 
ceeded in getting out of the tree before I could reach the 
base. It dropped so quickly that it seemed to go faster 
than the falling bark dislodged in the scramble. 
Another da.y, while returning from a bog over towai'd 
Telos Lake after sunset, a buck deer sprang out of a fir thicket 
directly toward me. 1 was going along at a slashing gait 
at the time, making plenty of noise, and when the deer 
appealed he was within 30ft. on the jump. It took him 
but a second to wheel and disappear, and as my rifle sights 
were full of snow I did not get a shot. It is an open ques- 
tion whether the deer on hearing ray approach thought it 
was another buck and wanted fight, or whether he got a 
baffling scent, and ran onto me when trying to escape. 
The traveling was very noisy during our stay at Sourdna- 
hunk, and though we saw plenty of sign we got no game. 
Couldn't Break a Game Law If he Tried. 
Despite the reports from Maine that partridges have been 
scarce this year, we saw an unusual number. I had loaded 
some light ammunition for this game, with 5gr8. of black 
powder and the 85gr. S. & W. pistol bullet, and found the 
dhdrge very accurate and satisfactor}'^ except for the fact 
that it was difficult to seat the ball in the shell without 
loading tools, as it was a trifle too large. On Dec. 1, as I 
was returning to camp, I saw six partridges budding in 
birch trees. They were all close together, and the chances 
seemed good for killing two with one shot. Accordingly 
I drew out the cartridge in my rifle barrel and attempted 
to substitute one of the light charges; but the shell jammed, 
and do what I would I could not get it in the barrel. I 
tried in succession half a dozen cartridges, and each one 
stuck when about two-thirds way into the barrel. 
It was an extremely cold day, the thermometer being 
' ^nsiderably below zero at the time; and the trouble was 
evidently due not only to the fact that the shells had been 
expanded by firins;, but also to the contraction of the 
rifle barrel, as I proved afterward by inserting without dif- 
ficulty all the cartridges when the barrel was warmed. I 
did not want to use a regular cartridge, as my stock of 
ammunition was very low, so I left the spot without killing 
any partridge. 
Ten minutes later a spruce partridge flew up from under 
my feet into a low tree, and sat there stupidly regarding 
me. 
I was still a little mad at losing the others, and I 
resolved to have this one for revenge, though I really did 
not believe he would be. very good eating, being an old, 
bird; so I cut a sapling 10 or 12ft. in length and fas- 
tened at the end a noose made from an old moccasin string, 
and carefully dangled it in front where he could stick his 
head into it. 
The partridge bobbed his head backward and forward 
and sideways in a self-important way, looking at the 
, noose as if he were critically examining 'it over the top of 
a pair of spectacles, and finally stuck his head squarely 
into it. The same instant I yanked, but as luck would 
have it the partridge got too far into the loup, and before 
I could get my hands on him he had slipped through and 
escaped. 
That night I related the incident, and was reminded that 
it was tlTe 1st of December and that the partridge season 
was over — facts which had not occurred to me before. . 
Mr. Goodman, the scaler, who was sitting the other side 
of the stove, slapped his thigh and remarked: 
"By George, I know now why it was I missed that par- 
tridge to-day when I threw my axe at him. I couldn't 
break a game law if I tried." 
Geography. 
SToniB of the Maine maps give much detail regarding the 
Trout Brook country. The headwaters of streams which 
serve to indicate the watersheds are misplaced, while such 
lakes as Little Sourdnahunk, which is about three-quarters 
of a mile in diameter, and Thissel Pond, which measures 
MAP OF THE WADLEIGH BROOK HUNTING BEGION. 
five-eighths of a mile in its greatest dimension, are not set 
down at all. None of the maps show the deep bay on the 
north side of Sourdnahunk Lake known as Caribou Cove, 
and on all I have seen the roads are not given as used at 
the present time. For instance, the approach to Sourd- 
nahunk Lake at present is by the well-traveled tote road 
up Trout Brook, but this is not shown on the maps, while 
on the other hand the disused route from Webster and 
Telos lakes down to the lower end of Chesuncook still 
appears. Of covirse these tote roads are constantly chang- 
ing, and it is a difficult matter to keep track from year to 
year of those which are passable for teams, but with regard 
to the natural features it is different, and it is surprising 
that better maps do not exist. 
The rough map printed herewith is intended to show 
some of the features of interest to sportsmen not given 
elsewhere, and will serve to illustrate the narrative. The 
dotted squares are six miles across. 
In a general way it may be said that the country lying 
south of Trout Brook and between that stream and the 
East Branch is a continuous mountain range that finally 
culminates in Katahdin, 5,250ft. in height. This is the 
only mountain region of any consequence in Maine, and its 
scenic attractions are noteworthy. From Grand Lake 
(Matagamon) and the west end of Sourdnahunk Lake the 
views are particularly impressive. 
North of Trout Brook there are no mountains worthy of 
the name, and the country resembles other parts of the 
State, with characteristic bogs, low ridges, dead water 
streams and lakes. 
Sourdnahunk Lake lies on a high plateau well up toward 
Katahdin. By right it should empty into East Branch 
waters, but instead it has taken upon itself the vastly more 
difficult task of discharging its waters into the West Branch 
of the Penobscot. Its outlet, Sourdnahunk Stream, has 
cut a passage through the southern enflanking mountains, 
and rushes down wild gorges in tumultuous fashion, falling 
hundreds of feet in a few miles. Thefe is nothing like this 
stream in Maine, and nowhere can such scenes be wit- 
nessed as occur there in May, when Messrs. Dudley & Cur- 
rins start their log drive. The stream at best is the person- 
ification of untamed fury, but add the thousands of great 
spruce logs th^it go tearing along with it, shooting down 
over falls like bolts from some great catapult, and disap- 
pearing in boiling chaldrons below or splintering on the 
adamant rocks that oppose their passage, and you have a 
picture of reckless passion that appalls the beholder. 
The lumbermen have three dams with an aggregate head 
of 36ft. of water behind, and when a jam forms , this great 
wall of water is sent hurling down upon it with a force for 
smashing and tearing that is ahsolutely resistless. Under 
ordinary conditions the water is let run at regular intervals 
for a few minutes at a time. 
Besides their Trout Brook Camp Messrs. Dudley & Cur- 
rins have two camps on Sourdnahunk Stream, but they 
have almost finished their operations in this country, and 
another year will no doubt move elsewhere. 
In mentioning the natural features of this region, the 
burnt lands of Wadleigh Brook should have a prominent 
place. These lie mostly north and east of the brook from 
Burnt Mountain on the south almost to Blunder Pond on 
the north, and extend in a northeasterly direction pretty 
well over toward Second Lake.-. In some places they have 
been burned over half a dozen times, and are so open that 
one can see half a mile at a stretch; but as a rule the 
ground is grown up with small trees, maple and birch and 
poplar, tha teffectually prevent an extended outlook. 
These burnt lands are the natural summer home of moose 
and other game, but by December everything has moved 
into the surrounding green timber. 
The First Caribou. 
Early in December the caribou begin working down the 
mountains, and leaving their sprawling trails along the 
frozen streams and bogs of the TroutlBrook country. They 
had been very abundant on Katahdin during the fall, 
feeding on the mosses above the timber line, and a lumber- 
man named Eodgers, who has camps well up toward the 
summit, reported that he had seen as many as eighty in 
one herd. 
Caribou are stupid, and their flesh is not highly regarded 
as food, and it is a noteworthy fact that they are despised 
by many of the native hunters, who sometimes shoot them 
down from pure wantonness, piling up their carcasses as 
long as the animals are in sight or till their ammunition is 
exhausted. 
The morning of Dec. 3 Hoisington, Du Bois and Natey, 
who were again in camp on Wadleigh Brook, discussed 
their plans. Du Bois said: "Natey and I will go across 
Trout Brook and kill a deer," to which Hoisington re- 
sponded: "Well, I guess I'll go up toward the burnt lands 
and get a caribou." 
Strangfly enough, both predictions were fulfilled to the 
letter. Du Bois got a large doe within a few hours after 
leaving camp, and in even less time Hoisington had killed 
his caribou. 
The thermometer hung on a nearby tree registered 18° 
below zero at 7:30, when the hunters left camp. Thinking 
that Wadleigh Brook would be well frozen, Hoisington re- 
HOISINGKTON'S CAB.IBOU. 
solved to go up on the ice. There were some thin places 
on the rapid stream, however, and soon after leaving camp 
he got his feet wet. He quickened his pace to start the 
circulation and prevent freezing, and the snow on the ice 
creaked so loudly in the frosty air that it seemed next to 
impossible to surprise any game. However, as he rounded 
a bend in the stream he saw a deer standing on the bank 
in plain sight looking at him, but before. he could fire the 
deer had turned and plunged into the woods. This served 
as a warning to go more cautiously, and as subsequent 
events proved was a very lucky occurrence. Game was 
afoot that wintry morning, and, like the hunter, found that 
the brook afforded an easy means of travel. 
When less than a mile from camp Hoisington suddenly 
saw the antlered head of a caribou regarding him from the 
concealment of the tall grass and bushes growing on a 
point above. The same instant the animal whirled around 
to run, but just as quickly the little smokeless powder gun 
spat out its veto, and down he went, shot through the 
spine just back of the shoulder blades. The caribou tried 
to rise, but a second shot, fired for safety, pierced his 
heart, and he was dead when the hunter reached the spot. 
The caribou was a bull with a very compact and pretty set of 
horns. The antlers were just ready to drop, and when he 
fell one was loosened and came off. After dressing him 
Hoisington returned to camp and later went out to drag 
him in on the ice. This time he had no rifle with him, 
and while sitting on the caribou's body resting he saw a 
big buck with five points to a wde come out on the ice only 
a few rods away and paw and strut and dare anything to 
fight him. It was highly aggravating to take the old 
buck's "sass," but there was no help for it, and finally the 
buck got tired and went away. 
Return to Wadleifih. 
On the 3d of December Dr. Wright and myself started 
